The National Forum on Tuberculosis (TB) was launched in New Delhi. Convened by Dalbir Singh, Head of Dept, All India Congress Committee, the forum was launched in the presence of Shiela Dikshit, Chief Minister, Delhi; AH Khan Choudhury, Health and Family Welfare Minister of State and Deepa Dasmunsi, Urban Development Minister. The launch was supported by Global Health Strategies (GHS) a health organisation which works on TB, cervical cancer and childhood diseases.
The forum launch brought together parliamentarians, policy makers and civil society representatives to discuss the challenges for TB prevention and control. The event also saw the release of a Handbook on TB in India. This hand book provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges around TB control in India and the role of policy makers and parliamentarians in this regard.
Dalbir Singh, Convener of the Forum commented, “The National Forum on TB will serve as a platform to bring together various stakeholders to highlight and address the complex challenges facing TB in India, a disease that is easily preventable and treatable.”
TB kills one Indian every two minutes. India bears the highest burden of TB in the world, two million annually. This accounts for one-fifth of the global disease burden. TB is the cause of extensive economic losses leading to individual, family and community suffering. TB is also associated with a deep-seated stigma that often leads to discrimination within the workplace and the community.
The National Forum on TB will work to raise awareness on the need for improved TB control. The members of the Forum will meet several times in a year to discuss critical challenges in TB control. Based on these discussions, the members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will then be presented to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for further action.
As representatives of the world’s largest democracy, policy makers, parliamentarians and the civil society play a pivotal role in influencing policy decisions. The Forum will aim to leverage this power to make an impact on the TB landscape in India.
EP News Bureau – Mumbai
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